Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Validation and Utility of the Social Emotional Health Survey—Secondary for Japanese Students

  • Published:
Contemporary School Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The article explores the use of the Social and Emotional Health Survey—Secondary version (SEHS-S) with a sample of 975 Japanese students in Grades 7–9 attending schools located northwest of Tokyo. A confirmatory factor analysis using half the sample confirmed the four-factor structure of the SEHS-S, and further analyses verified its second-order factor model including Belief-in-Self, Belief-in-Others, Emotional Competence, and Engaged Living, all of which contribute to a latent second-order construct labeled Covitality. Additional SEM validity analyses found that the four identified first-order SEHS constructs and the second-order covitality construct were positively associated with subjective well-being. SEHS-S scores also predicted several variables indicative of positive school engagement for Japanese students, including academic performance, social relationships, and willingness to assist others. Results of the study are discussed in terms of the advantages of using strength-based assessments such as the SEHS-S for Japanese students and in promoting well-being in this population.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aoyama, I. (2014). 高校生・大学生におけるインターネット・携帯電話依存,ネットいじめ経験とひきこもり親和性の関連 [The association between an affinity for acute social withdrawal (Hikikomori) and problematic use of Internet/cell phone and cyberbullying among Japanese high school and college students]. Educational Studies 56, International Christian University, 43–49.

  • Arai, N., & Ueji, M. (2012). 高校生用レジリエンス尺度の信頼性と妥当性の検討 [Reliability and validity of the resilience scale for Japanese high school students]. Bulletin of Institute of Health Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 35, 67–72.

  • Asakawa, K., & Matsuoka, S. (1987). 児童期の共感性に関する発達的研究 [A developmental study of empathy in childhood]. Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology, 35, 231–240.

  • Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indices in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238–146. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.238.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bentler, P. M. (2006). EQS 6 structural equations program manual. Encino: Multivariate Software.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cabinet Office, Government Japan. (2010).若者の意識に関する調査(ひきこもりに関する実態調査) [Summary report of the survey about Hikikomori] Retrieved from www8.cao.go.jp/youth/kenkyu/hikikomori/pdf/gaiyo.pdf.

  • Chen, F. F., Sousa, K. H., & West, S. G. (2005). Testing measurement invariance of second order factor models. Structural Equation Modeling, 12, 471–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, G. W., & Rensvold, R. B. (2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 9, 233–255. doi:10.1207/S15328007SEM0902_5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui, Y., & Shoji, I. (2013). 中学生の自己制御(self-regulation)尺度の開発 [Development of self-regulation scale for junior high school students]. Japanese Journal of School Psychology, 13(1), 3–14.

  • Denda, K., Kako, Y., Sasaki, Y., Ito, K., Kitagawa, N., & Koyama, T. (2004). Depressive symptoms in a school sample of children and adolescents: using the Birleson Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children (DSRS-C). Japanese Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 45, 424–436.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dowdy, E., Furlong, M. J., Raines, T. C., Price, M., Murdock, J., Kamphaus, R., & Bovery, B. (2014). Enhancing school-based mental health services with a preventive and promotive approach to universal screening for complete mental health. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation. doi:10.1080/10474412.2014.929951.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fujiwara, T., Murakami, T., Nishimura, T., Hamaguchi, Y., & Sakurai, S. (2014). 小学生における対人的感謝尺度の作成 [Development of an interpersonal gratitude scale for children]. Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology, 25, 399–411.

  • Furlong, M. J., Ritchey, K. M., & O’Brennan, L. M. (2009). Developing norms for the California resilience youth development module: internal assets and school resources subscales. California School Psychologist, 14, 35–46. doi:10.1007/BF03340949.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furlong, M. J., You, S., Renshaw, T. L., Smith, D. C., & O’Malley, M. D. (2014). Preliminary development and validation of the social and emotional health survey for secondary students. Social Indicators Research, 117, 1011–1032. doi:10.1007/s11205-013-0373-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, T. L., & Kim, J. O. (2007). Measuring resilience and youth development: the psychometric properties of the Healthy Kids Survey. (Issues & Answers Report, REL 2007–No. 034). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory West. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.

  • Hasegawa, M., Horiuchi, Y., Suzuki, K., Sado, M., & Sakamoto, A. (2009). 児童用多次元共感性尺度の信頼性・妥当性の検討 [Reliability and validity of multidimensional empathy scale for children]. Japanese Journal of Personality, 17, 307–310.

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55. doi:10.1080/10705519909540118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, E. S. (1991). Initial development of the students’ life satisfaction scale. School Psychology International, 12, 231–243. doi:10.1177/0143034391123010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, E. S. (1995). The students’ life satisfaction scale: an assessment of psychometric properties with black and white elementary school students. Social Indicators Research, 34, 315–323. doi:10.1007/BF01078690.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ide, S. (2014). 内閣府ひきこもり調査の検討: 調査法、ひきこもり票の検討、社会的関係、不登校経験率 [Critical review of Hikikomori research by Cabinet Office Japan: research method, social relation, experience of non-attendance at school]. Shitennoji University Bulletin, 58,179–202.

  • Ishige, M. & Muto, T. (2005). 中学生における精神的健康とレジリエンスおよびソーシャル・サポートとの関連 : 受験期の学業場面に着目して[Psychological well-being, resilience, and social support expectancy: junior high school students facing high school entrance examinations] . Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology, 53, 356–367.

  • Ishizu, K., & Shimoda, Y. (2013). 中学生用情動知覚尺度 (EAQ) 日本語版の作成 [Development of the Japanese version of the emotion awareness questionnaire for junior high school students]. Japanese Journal of Psychology, 84, 229–237.

  • Ito, A. (2011). Enhancing school connectedness in Japan: the role of homeroom teachers in establishing a positive classroom climate. Asian Journal of Counselling, 18(1, 2), 41–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurent, J., Calanzaro, S. J., Joiner, T. E., Rudolph, K. D., Potter, K. I., Lambert, S., Osborne, L., & Gathright, T. (1999). Psychological Assessment, 11, 326–328. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.11.3.326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S., You, S., & Furlong, M. J. (2015). Validation of the social emotional health survey for Korean school students. Child Indicators Research. doi:10.1007/s12187-014-9294-y.

    Google Scholar 

  • Long, R. F., Huebner, E. S., Wedell, D. H., & Hills, K. J. (2012). Measuring school-related subjective well-being in adolescents. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82, 50–60. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2011.01130.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Matsuo, N., & Arai, K. (1998). 児童の対人不安傾向と公的自己意識, 対人的自己効力感との関係 [Relationship among social anxiousness, public self-consciousness and social self-efficacy in children]. Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology, 46, 21–30.

  • MEXT. (2008). 新学習指導要領生きる力 [New Education Ministry guidelines Zest for life]. Retrieved from www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shotou/new-cs/youryou/index.htm.

  • MEXT. (2014). 児童生徒の問題行動等生徒指導上の諸問題に関する調査 12 月訂正値[The report of problem behaviors of students; edition of December 2014]. Retrieved from www.e-stat.go.jp/SG1/estat/NewList.do?tid=000001016708.

  • Mishima, K. (2014). 中学生の「いじめ」被害と発達障害傾向・学校適応 [Junior High School students’ suffering from bullying, developmental disorders, and school adaptation]. Bulletin of Modern Education of Chubu University, 6, 25–33.

  • Murakami, T., Nishimura, T., & Sakurai, S. (2014). 小中学生における共感性と向社会的行動および攻撃行動の関連:子ども用認知・感情共感性尺度の信頼性・妥当性の検討 [Relation between cognitive/emotional empathy and prosocial and aggressive behaviors in elementary and middle school students]. Japanese Journal of Developmental Psychology, 25, 399–411.

  • Murata, H., & Masaki. M. (2013).中高生はなぜ“幸福”なのか;「中学生・高校生の生活と意識調査 2012」から3 [Why are junior and senior high school students “happy?”: The 2012 Survey on the Way of Life and Attitudes of Junior and Senior High School Students (Part III)]. The NHK Monthly Report on Broadcast Research, 63(3), 34–43.

  • Okayasu, T., Shimada, H., & Sakano, Y. (1993). 中学生におけるソーシャル・サポートの学校ストレス軽減効果 [Alleviation effects of social support on school stress in junior high school students]. Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology, 41, 302–312.

  • Renshaw, T. L., Furlong, M. J., Dowdy, E., Rebelez, J., Smith, D. C., O’Malley, I., & Strom, I. F. (2014). Covitality: a synergistic conception of adolescents’ mental health. In M. J. Furlong, R. Gilman, & E. S. Huebner (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology in schools (2nd ed., pp. 12–32). New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steiger, J. H., & Lind, A. (1980). Statistically based tests for the number of common factors. Iowa: Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Psychometric Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi, M., Koide, H., & Ukai, Y. (2013). 中 1 ギャップにおける学校享受感情の変化について;小 6 から中 3 までの縦断的調査から [Changes in enjoyment of school in the “chuichi gap”: a longitudinal study from 6th year elementary school to third year junior high school]. The Bulletin of School of Humanities of Japanese Woman University. 19, 163–172.

  • Toyama, M., & Ichihara, M. (2008). 中学生の学業成績の向上におけるテスト対処方略と学業コンピテンスの影響 [Test coping strategies and perceived academic competence in improved academic performance of junior high school students: cognitive strategies]. Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology, 56, 72–80.

  • UNICEF. (2007). Child well-being in rich countries. A comparative overview. Retrieved from www.unicef.org/media/files/ChildPovertyReport.pdf.

  • Vandenberg, R. J., & Lance, C. E. (2000). A review and synthesis of the measurement invariance literature: suggestions, practices, and recommendations for organizational research. Organizational Research Methods, 2, 4–69. doi:10.1177/109442810031002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villodas, F., Villodas, M. T., & Roesch, S. (2011). Examining the factor structure of the positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS) in a multiethnic sample of adolescents. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 44, 193–203. doi:10.1177/0748175611414721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • You, S., Furlong, M. J., Dowdy, E., Renshaw, T. L., Smith, D. C., & O’Malley, M. D. (2013). Further validation of the social and emotional health survey for high school students. Applied Research in Quality of Life. doi:10.1007/s11482-013-9282-2.

    Google Scholar 

  • You, S., Furlong, M. J., Felix, E., & O’Malley, M. D. (2015). Validation of the social and emotional health survey for five sociocultural groups: multigroup invariance and latent mean analyses. Psychology in the Schools. doi:10.1002/pits.21828.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Compliance with Ethical Standards

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ayako Ito.

Additional information

The preparation of this article was financially supported by a Japanese Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) 23530891 and (C) 26380921.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ito, A., Smith, D.C., You, S. et al. Validation and Utility of the Social Emotional Health Survey—Secondary for Japanese Students. Contemp School Psychol 19, 243–252 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-015-0068-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-015-0068-4

Keywords

Navigation